Investing.com – Canada stocks were higher after the close on Wednesday, as gains in the Consumer Staples, Telecoms and Industrials sectors led shares higher.
At the close in Toronto, the S&P/TSX Composite rose 0.01%.
The best performers of the session on the S&P/TSX Composite were Cascades Inc . (TO:CAS), which rose 5.76% or 0.74 points to trade at 13.59 at the close. Meanwhile, TransAlta Corp (TO:TA) added 4.06% or 0.31 points to end at 7.95 and Empire Company Ltd (TO:EMPa) was up 3.54% or 0.88 points to 25.75 in late trade.
The worst performers of the session were Hudson's Bay Company (TO:HBC), which fell 13.03% or 1.55 points to trade at 10.35 at the close. Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd. (TO:AAV) declined 8.47% or 0.500 points to end at 5.400 and Bonavista Energy Corp (TO:BNP) was down 7.55% or 0.160 points to 1.960.
Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the Toronto Stock Exchange by 751 to 401 and 139 ended unchanged.
Shares in Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd. (TO:AAV) fell to 52-week lows; falling 8.47% or 0.500 to 5.400. Shares in Empire Company Ltd (TO:EMPa) rose to 52-week highs; gaining 3.54% or 0.88 to 25.75. Shares in Bonavista Energy Corp (TO:BNP) fell to 52-week lows; losing 7.55% or 0.160 to 1.960.
The S&P/TSX 60 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of S&P/TSX Composite options, was up 3.58% to 11.85.
Gold Futures for February delivery was up 0.12% or 1.50 to $1266.40 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in January fell 2.90% or 1.67 to hit $55.95 a barrel, while the February Brent oil contract fell 2.64% or 1.66 to trade at $61.20 a barrel.
CAD/USD was down 0.81% to 0.7820, while CAD/EUR fell 0.45% to 0.6631.
The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.30% at 93.55.